Lemolo Lake is a small lake and reservoir located in Douglas County, Oregon

Douglas County, Oregon

-National protected areas:* Crater Lake National Park * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Siuslaw National Forest * Umpqua National Forest * Willamette National Forest -Adjacent counties:* Lane County, Oregon -...

 in the Umpqua National Forest

Umpqua National Forest

Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade mountains, covers an area of one-million acres in Douglas, Lane, and Jackson Counties, and borders Crater Lake National Park. The four ranger districts that comprise the Forest are Cottage Grove, Diamond Lake, North Umpqua, and Tiller Ranger...

 30 miles north of Crater Lake National Park. It is part of the Diamond Lake Ranger district and is administered by the United States Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

.

History

Before the 1880s, the area around Lemolo Lake was used mainly by the Native American groups. It wasn't until the 1880s that white settlers began to use the area extensively as grazing land for sheep. The first land-use reform came in 1908 when the McGowan, Kelsay Valley, and Dog Prairie Allotments allowed for regulated grazing in the areas around Lemolo and Diamond Lakes. While development continued in the vicinity of Diamond Lake throughout the 20th century, the land around Lemolo Lake remained relatively untouched with the exception of the building of the North Umpqua road in 1939 (later replaced by Hwy 138 in 1964), the installation of telephone lines between 1909 and 1965, the construction of the Lemolo Hydroelectric Project from 1952-1955, and periodic timber harvesting or replanting from the 1950s through the 1990s. Cabins and the only store were built at Lemolo Lake between 1963 and 1984.

Location and geography

Lemolo Lake is situated at approx. 4075 feet (about 1242 m.) above sea-level in the eastern region of the Umpqua National Forest. It forms the tip of a triangle of lakes formed by Lemolo Lake to the north, Diamond Lake

Diamond Lake (Oregon)

Diamond Lake is a lake in the southern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies near the junction of Oregon Route 138 and Oregon Route 230 in the Umpqua National Forest in Douglas County. It is located between Mount Bailey to the west and Mount Thielsen to the east; it is just north of Crater Lake...

 to the south, and Miller Lake to the southeast. Unlike nearby Diamond Lake, Lemolo Lake is isolated and serviced only by National Forest Development Roads (see map at http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl). There are excellent views of Mt. Baily and Mt. Thielsen, as well as Cinnamon Butte (all of which are located to the south of Lemolo Lake).

Summer

The lake is a popular camping and fishing spot during the summer months and boasts three campgrounds as well as areas for RVs, cabins, and a small 4-unit hotel. The most popular activities during the summer include fishing for trout, swimming, hiking and water skiing. Personal watercraft are also allowed on the lake, however the marina does not offer speed-boats or jet-skis, so water skiers must provide their own.

Health Notices

During the summer months, there can be blue-green algae blooms, which may be harmful to your health. These blooms do not occur every year, nor do they occur at the same time of year. Visitors should check with the USFS for advisory warnings about water conditions before making the trip. Efforts have been very successful in recent years to curb the algae growth in both Lemolo Lake and nearby Diamond Lake. These efforts have coincided with the removal of invasive fish species such as the Tui Chub

Tui chub

The Tui chub, Gila bicolor, is a cyprinid fish native to western North America. Widespread in many areas, it is an important food source for other fish, including the cutthroat trout.- Range :...

. In 2009, the algae level was a mere 300,000 cells per millimeter; down from the millions of cells measured in prior years.

Winter

Unlike many campsites in higher elevations, Lemolo Lake's cabins and camping areas are open year-round and offer excellent winter activities; including camping, snow-shoeing, hiking, Nordic skiing, and snowmobiling.